scholarly journals Oral health and access to dental care among older homeless adults: results from the HOPE HOME study

2018 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Freitas ◽  
Lauren M. Kaplan ◽  
Lina Tieu ◽  
Claudia Ponath ◽  
David Guzman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Homeless Adults ◽  
Home Study ◽  
Access To Dental Care

Programs and Policies Targeted to Improve Access to Dental Care for Low Income Adults and Children in the US: An Integrative Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Davis AL ◽  
◽  
Zare H ◽  
Kanwar O ◽  
McCleary R ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Oral Health Care ◽  
Oral Health Literacy ◽  
The Us ◽  
Access To Dental Care

Objective: The authors conducted an integrative literature review of recent studies that explored the impact of interventions implemented in the U.S. that focused on improving access to dental care for low-income and vulnerable populations. Methods: The authors conducted an integrative literature review of studies published between 2012-2018 that addressed six oral health policy spheres. 1) Community-based dental access programs; (2) Medicaid reimbursement and expansion; (3) Student loan support; (4) Oral health services in non-traditional settings and dental residency programs; (5) Programs to improve oral health literacy; and (6) Use of dental therapists. Results: The authors included 39 articles for qualitative synthesis. Numerous public health initiatives and programs exist in the US aimed at increasing access to quality oral health care. Medicaid expansion, increased Medicaid fee-for-service reimbursement rates, and state loan repayment programs have demonstrated some success in improving access among underserved populations. A diversified dental workforce, with community dental health workers and mid-level providers like dental therapists, as well as interprofessional training of nurses and primary-care physicians in oral health have also shown positive impacts in advancing health equity. Further studies are needed to understand how oral health literacy programs can affect access and utilization of dental services. Conclusions: Improvements to the oral health care safety net will require a holistic and multifaceted approach in order to reduce oral health disparities. Policy levers should work, not in isolation, but rather in complementary fashion to one another.

Access to Dental Care and the Oral Health Safety Net

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan C. McKernan ◽  
Julie C. Reynolds ◽  
Astha Singhal ◽  
Raymond Kuthy ◽  
Peter C. Damiano
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Health Safety ◽  
Access To Dental Care

scholarly journals Exploring Variation of Coverage and Access to Dental Care for Adults in 11 European Countries: A Vignette Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliane Winkelmann ◽  
Jesús Gómez Rossi ◽  
Falk Schwendicke ◽  
Antonia Dimova ◽  
Elka Atanasova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Cost Sharing ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Access Barriers ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
Out Of Pocket Payments ◽  
Access To Dental Care ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background: Oral health has received increased attention over the past few years coupled with rising awareness on the impact of limited dental care coverage for oral health and general health and well-being. The purpose of the study was to compare the statutory coverage and access to dental care for adult services in 11 European countries using a vignette approach.Methods: We used three patient vignettes to highlight the differences of the dimensions of coverage and access to dental care (coverage, cost-sharing and accessibility). The three vignettes describe typical care pathways for patients with the most common oral health conditions (caries, periodontal disease, edentulism). The vignettes were completed by health services researchers knowledgeable on dental care, dentists, or teams consisting of a health systems expert working together with dental specialists.Results: Completed vignettes were received from 11 countries, including Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Germany, Republic of Ireland (Ireland), Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden. While emergency dental care, tooth extraction and restorative care for acute pain due to carious lesions are covered in most responding countries, root canal treatment, periodontal care and prosthetic restoration often require cost-sharing or are entirely excluded from the benefit basket. Regular dental visits are also limited to one visit per year in many countries. Beyond financial barriers due to out-of-pocket payments, patients may experience very different kinds of physical barriers to access dental care. Major access barriers to public dental care represent the limited availability of contracted dentists especially in rural areas and the unequal distribution and lack of specialised dentists.Conclusions: According to the results, statutory coverage of dental care varies across European countries while access barriers are largely similar. Many dental services require substantial cost-sharing in most countries which in turn leads to high out-of-pocket spending. The individual socioeconomic status is thus a main determinant for access to dental care, but also other factors such as geography, age and comorbidities can inhibit access and affect outcomes. Moreover, coverage in most oral health systems is targeted at treatment and less at preventative oral health care.

Evaluating the Effect of a Community-Based Lay Health Advisor Training Curriculum to Address Immigrant Children's Caries Disparities

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan-Jung Hsu ◽  
Wu-Der Peng ◽  
Jen-Hao Chen ◽  
Ying-Chun Lin ◽  
Chin-Shun Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Oral Hygiene ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Immigrant Women ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Training Curriculum ◽  
Lay Health Advisor ◽  
Access To Dental Care ◽  
Medically Underserved Population

Previous programs had not designed the culturally adequate Lay Health Advisor (LHA) oral health training curriculum for medically underserved population. We evaluated the effects of LHA training curriculum for addressing immigrant children's caries disparities in their access to dental care. We used a pre/post-test study design. Immigrant women were recruited from churches, schools, and immigrant centers in an urban area. Four training classes were held. Each training cycle lasted 15 consecutive weeks, consisting of 1 weekly 2-h training session for 12 weeks followed by a 3-week practicum. The curriculum included training in caries-related knowledge, oral hygiene demonstrations, teaching techniques, communication skills, and hands-on practice sessions. Thirty-seven LHA trainees completed the course and passed the post-training exam. The data were collected using self-report questionnaires. The level of oral health knowledge, self-efficacy and attitudes toward oral hygiene were significantly increased after LHA training. There was a significant and over twofold increase in trainees' oral hygiene behaviors. An increase of >20% in LHA and their children's dental checkup was observed following training. After training, LHAs were more likely to have 3+ times of brushing teeth [Odds Ratio (OR) = 13.14], brushing teeth 3+ minutes (OR = 3.47), modified bass method use (OR = 30.60), dental flossing (OR = 4.56), fluoride toothpaste use (OR = 5.63) and child's dental visit (OR = 3.57). The cross-cultural training curriculum designed for immigrant women serving as LHAs was effective in improvement of oral hygiene behaviors and access to dental care.

Access to dental care and dental ill-health of people with serious mental illness: views of nurses working in mental health settings in Australia

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenda Happell ◽  
Chris Platania-Phung ◽  
David Scott ◽  
Christine Hanley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Serious Mental Illness ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Dental Health ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Mental Health Consumers ◽  
Access To Dental Care ◽  
Health Consumers

People with serious mental illness experience higher rates of oral and dental health problems than the wider population. Little is known about how dental health is viewed or addressed by nurses working with mental health consumers. This paper presents the views of nurses regarding the nature and severity of dental health problems of consumers with serious mental illness, and how often they provide advice on dental health. Mental health sector nurses (n = 643) completed an online survey, including questions on dental and oral health issues of people with serious mental illness. The majority of nurses considered the oral and dental conditions of people with serious mental illness to be worse than the wider community. When compared with a range of significant physical health issues (e.g. cardiovascular disease), many nurses emphasised that dental and oral problems are one of the most salient health issues facing people with serious mental illness, their level of access to dental care services is severely inadequate and they suffer significantly worse dental health outcomes as a result. This study highlights the need for reforms to increase access to dental and oral health care for mental health consumers.

Assessing the Effectiveness of a School-Based Dental Clinic on the Oral Health of Children Who Lack Access to Dental Care

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Carpino ◽  
Mary P. Walker ◽  
Ying Liu ◽  
Melanie Simmer-Beck
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
Dental Clinic ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
School Based ◽  
Student Access ◽  
Access To Dental Care

This program evaluation examines the effectiveness of a school-based dental clinic. A repeated-measures design was used to longitudinally examine secondary data from participants ( N = 293). Encounter intensity was developed to normalize data. Multivariate analysis of variance and Kruskal–Wallis test were used to investigate the effect of encounter intensity on the change in decay, restorations, and treatment urgency. A Pearson’s correlation was used to measure the strengths of association. Encounter intensity had a statistically significant effect on change in decay ( p = .005), restorations ( p = .000), and treatment urgency ( p = .001). As encounter intensity increased, there was a significant association with the decrease in decay (−.167), increase in restorations (.221), and reduction in referral urgency (−.188). Incorporating dental care into a school-based health center resulted in improved oral health in underserved children while overcoming barriers that typically restrict access. The collaboration of school nurses with the school-based dental clinic was an important element for maximizing student access to dental care.

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